Ariel Sees a Certain Winter Spirit
by xCrashMyParty
Summary: Ariel sees a human form in the water, and curiosity gets the better of her. She follows the being and witnesses Jack Frost's winter powers, unknowing of the fact that he is using them for the first time! I don't know if this is a thing but I had the idea and here it is tada.


"C 'mon Flounder, keep up!" Ariel called over her shoulder to her small fish companion as he struggled to match her speed. Although the red-headed mermaid had nothing particular planned, today she harbored a certain excitement for what the day would hold. This excitement translated into her swimming speedily, at the expense of her small-finned friend.

Finally, she reached her destination, and a huffing and puffing Flounder came to her side shortly after. Checking all around for any stray merpeople, Ariel concluded that no one was around, and shifted the stone before her to expose a gap large enough for her to swim through into her secret grotto.

This process was routine for Ariel, but every time she entered this special place, her eyes widened in awe. The contents of this cove were her whole world. All around her, in stacks and piles that reached up seemingly for miles, were human items that Ariel had collected. She stayed still for a moment, taking in the view. Everything around her was exciting, different, and having them all here, in this private space, was her connection to the world above.

"Isn't it just… wonderful?" Ariel said, eyes still glued to the various human-world items that surrounded her.

Flounder chuckled, "You say that every day."

"Well, it's true!" Finally Ariel fell out of her trance and began to swim up towards a wooden bookshelf, complete with real books, words and all. Flounder's favorite pieces of the collection happened to be the books. He loved when Ariel read him stories of the human world. Although he wasn't, and probably never could be, as absorbed with the surface world as Ariel, he couldn't deny that hearing the stories of up above fascinated him immensely.

He swam to Ariel's side and quickly pointed a fin to a blue-binded book.

"Can we read that one?"

Ariel plucked the book off the shelf. It was an educational book about the four seasons. Sure, the water temperatures and tides changed, but the concept of there being complete transformations of the environment was foreign and exciting. She gladly complied with Flounder's request, swimming down to rest herself on a rock. Flounder laid on her shoulder, wrapped in her hair, eyes focused on the book in Ariel's hands.

Ariel opened the book to the beginning of the winter chapter. Pictures of snow and descriptions of cold weather thrilled the girl and her fish friend.

"Can you believe that _that_ just falls from the sky?" Ariel said, pointing to a picture of a snowflake.

"Do you think that is hurts if you get hit by one?" Flounder questioned.

"No silly, they're small and delicate. And every one is different…" Ariel's response drifted as she gazed up through the opening at the top of the cove, mind circling with vivid pictures of what lay beyond it.

Suddenly, Ariel was snapped out of her thoughts as something came into view up above. She squinted, unsure if what she was seeing was what she thought.

"Is that…?" she muttered, unconsciously drifting up, the figure becoming clearer as she neared it. She had read enough books and studied enough pictures to know – this was a human form.

"Ariel…" Flounder stammered nervously. Although he was undeniably interested in humans, he couldn't forget the various scary tales about the "barbarians" he had heard.

Eyes focused on the human, Ariel continued swimming up, almost at the top of the grotto. The form seemed to be moving up as well, but the distance would not curve her curiosity.

"I'm going up" Ariel confidently stated, and with that, she gained speed, leaving a shaky Flounder behind. At this point, the figure had risen above the surface, and Ariel didn't hesitate to do the same. It was dark, but she was nonetheless able to position herself behind something, based on the human-world nature books she had read, called "a tree." Slowly, she poked her head out from hiding, and was amazed at what met her eyes.

The most magnificent creature she had ever beheld stood a mere few feet away. For a moment, she questioned if what she saw was human. She noted a head of white hair, which she could have sworn was brown only moments ago. She dismissed the color change, concluding that the water had probably casted shadows, making the hair look darker. Ariel also noticed that the figure was very tall and skinny, and these proportions puzzled yet dazzled her.

The being crouched down, lifted a wooden staff, and began touching it to the frozen surface of the water, creating magnificent icy patterns. The spectacle made Ariel increasingly aware of the cold air that clung to her skin. However, the burning thrill inside of her kept her warm enough to remain watching.

The person continued to create the beautiful designs, dragging the staff behind him as he ran across the solid surface of the water. He then turned to a tree and with only the touch of his hand, delicate winter configurations again swirled into existence. He was now facing Ariel, and her eyes widened in wonder at the sight. Hair so white it exuded a glow of its own was arranged perfectly on his head, a few stray wisps resting just above a pair of brilliant blue eyes, more clear than the water that Ariel swam in every day. His facial structure was captivating, currently occupied by a youth-like excited expression. His skin was the color of the snow blanketing the water's surroundings.

And of course, the pinnacle of the creature was his long, skinny legs which Ariel so desperately longed to possess. She watched in slight envy as he moved around with grace and purpose. Ariel's eyes scrutinized the being as he swiftly but elegantly traveled from spot to spot, making the beauty of winter flourish. Just in the midst of her examination, a gust of wind came and left, lifting the boy off his beautiful feet and up into the night.

Ariel gasped in shock, and reflexively covered her mouth, hoping he didn't hear. Her nerves eased as she took into account how far away he had been carried. She couldn't recall reading about anything like this, which again raised her suspicions as to whether or not this boy was human… or something else. Considering how he manipulated the winter weather to his will, she wondered if perhaps he was some sort of winter spirit, greater than a human? She'd have to check every and any book regarding seasons that she owned.

Ariel was snapped out of her pondering when she heard several loud thuds. It seemed the wind had dropped the boy, causing him to crash down through thick tree branches. She didn't even have time to hope he was okay before another almost silent but apparently strong wind plucked him from the ground and out of Ariel's sight once more.

A few moments passed before Ariel slowly edged her way towards where the spirit had previous laid. Cautiously, she glanced up, but saw nothing. Her eyes moved back downwards when she noticed something glint in the moonlight. Ariel reached out and gently lifted a thin green object, a "leaf" if she recalled correctly. The leaf dawned one of those lovely icy patterns the boy was able to create. She held the frail but stunning item to her chest with both hands, and again lifted her eyes to the sky.

Ariel became aware of the moon, its captivating brightness illuminating everything it looked down on. As she continued to look, she realized that it wasn't just a lingering fixture; it was connected with the world it shone down upon. She knew it was tied with the boy she had observed in amazement, and thus was tied with the leaf in her palm. There was an inexplicable connective force that helped her decide this.

She looked back down at the glimmering object in her shaking hands, tracing the edge with placid fingers as the moonlight illuminated its swirls and curves. Finally, Ariel slowly descended back into the water. When she reached the spot where she had previously been reading about the wonders of winter (little did she know she would soon witness the very being that brought about the astonishing season) she gently placed the leaf next to the image of a snowflake.

Ariel then closed the book and swam over towards the entrance to her cove. Although she was sure she'd never forget this experience, she still strategically placed the book in a spot where it would be the first thing she would see each time she entered the cove, causing her memory to recreate all that she had seen that night.


End file.
